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Non Biodegradable Materials Stuck in the Toilet

Last Updated on Saturday, 08 May 2010 07:52 Friday, 07 May 2010 17:00

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Articles - Plumbing Fixtures and Appliances

RubberDuckyPlumbers are frequently asked questions in regard to toilets that get clogged with materials such as baby wipes, tampons, toys, paper cups, and other non biodegradable substances. While hot water or chemical agents can loosen waste materials and toilet paper, they do not work on plastics. Chemicals are not designed for these types of clogs as they are designed to dissolve biodegradable materials. The plunger is your best weapon of choice to remove a severely clogged toilet followed by the hand auger or snake as it is sometimes referred.

To remove a clog of this nature, use a good quality plunger! No cheap ones please. Form a good seal around the outlet of the toilet with the bottom of the plunger and make sure the plunger is submerged in the water. This is very important. Now grasp the handle with both hands and push and pull the plunger aggressively, but not too much so you don’t break the seal you have formed. The pulling motion is as important as the pushing motion. What you want to achieve is force the water in the pipe to make a push and pull movement. This movement loosens the debris in the pipe and eventually dislodges the clog. When the water goes down to a standard level, pour a five gallon bucket of hot water down the bowl. This way you won’t have to worry about the toilet overflowing and the hot water helps dissolve any waste materials that may have built up.

If this method does not work, you can use the hand auger to push through the clog. The auger works by turning the hand crank and pushing the auger down the drain. The end of the auger is designed to catch the debris so you can pull it back out of the drain. In a worst case scenario, you may have to remove the toilet from the base in order to remove a clog from inside the toilet and for easier access to the drain pipe. Note: if you remove the toilet, you must replace the wax ring.

The best measure to prevent clogs in the first place is to never throw materials in the toilet such as paper cups, tampons, cotton swabs, baby wipes, or any other non biodegradable material.

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